A Truth Laid Bare
by lateVMlover
Summary: This one-shot is based off of the last week's episode "Streets of Fire". It goes into a possible ending for the season. However, it has a decidedly Olicity spin that we probably won't see on the show.


**This one-shot is based off of the last week's episode "Streets of Fire" and is anticipating events of the finale. It's only focusing on the parts I care about the most: Olicity. **

A Truth Laid Bare

"Isabel attacked Dig, so I hit her with the van," Felicity tells Oliver, a note of pride in her voice.

The woman never ceases to surprise him. In the midst of a true nightmare, she alone could manage to make him smile. It was a marvel. _She _was a marvel.

A short time later, he has no reason to smile. His heart stops beating as he looks for Felicity when the van stops rolling. He spots her unconscious form leaning against Diggle.

The words are torn out of him. "Is she breathing?" he asks, unable to ask if she's dead. He holds his breath as he waits for Dig to answer.

Diggle reaches over and checks her pulse. "She's alive," he says.

Oliver could breathe again. He pulls her out of the van and carries her in his arms, unwilling to allow himself to focus on the fact that she has been hurt once again because of him. Instead, he focuses on getting across the bridge. When she regains consciousness, he puts her down. However, he can't seem to let her go. His arm stays around her.

Eventually, though, she protests. "I can walk now," she tells him. She pulls away from him. Normally, it was him that pulls away first. Reluctantly, he allows her the space she needs to make her call.

Later, the three of them make it back to the clock tower utterly disappointed. They had lost the cure. Oliver's hope of finding a way to stop Slade crumbles. "We can't stop Slade and his men without the cure," Oliver says in disgust.

"We'll find another way," Diggle assures him.

"There is no other way!" Oliver exclaims, his frustration clearly apparent. "The Foundry's been compromised. We need to get Roy out of there."

"I'm on it," Diggle says.

When Diggle leaves to check on Roy, Oliver finds himself wanting to share with Felicity as he looks out onto the city, unable to face her as he confesses his failings.

"I didn't know, Felicity. Five years ago, I was a completely different person. I didn't know something like this was possible," he admits with self-loathing. His eyes are focused on a fire burning in the city below. Every path he takes is road-blocked. Slade, his teacher, his mentor, his one-time-brother is now his enemy—an enemy he cannot defeat. The hopelessness of the situation runs through him. He feels trapped with no way out. "When you and Diggle brought me back to this city, I made a vow that I wouldn't let something like the Undertaking happen again."

"What's happening isn't your fault," she says. He finally turns toward her. She's not looking at him, her hand on her forehead, obviously in discomfort. The blood on her face is further evidence of his failure.

"Yes, it is! I have failed this city. Yao Fei, Tommy, my mother," he said, the weight of the guilt is crushing him. For once, he cannot see a way out. Not since he was on the island had he felt so utterly hopeless. But now it was worse. On the island, it was mostly himself he was failing. Now he had so many that were looking to him to stop Slade and save the city. Without the cure, he would fail. He knew this. "All I have ever wanted to do was honor those people."

Felicity raises her head and looks at him with fire in her eyes. "You honor the dead by fighting," she tells him firmly, in a tone that allows no room for argument. "And you are _not __**done **_fighting!" she reminds him in a near yell. She begins to stalk toward him, a determined gleam in her eyes. "Malcolm Merlyn, the Count, the Clock King, the Triad. Everyone who's tried to hurt this city, you stopped them! And you _will_ stop Slade." When she stops her recitation, she is standing directly in front of him. Her gaze is unwavering, obviously determined to reach him through the wall of guilt he's wrapped around himself.

"I don't know how," he confesses. He looks at her like he's a drowning man in need of a lifesaver. Only to her can he allow himself to appear weak and vulnerable.

"Neither do I," she admits. She takes another step closer to him. "But I know two things. You are not alone, Oliver. And I believe in you."

Her words both comfort him and terrify him. Her belief in him gives him strength, but the fear of failing her tightens his stomach. He wants to turn away from her unfailing faith, but she won't let him. She steps forward and wraps her arms around him. He doesn't deserve her. Yet he cannot help himself. After a moment's hesitation, he returns her embrace. For a moment, he allows himself to cling to her; her faith fills him with hope.

Then a short time later, a way is made clear. Blood calls him, telling him he has the cure. He and Diggle prepare to go meet him. "I want you to stay with Roy," he tells her before leaving. He needs her to be safe. She's already been hurt enough tonight.

"Okay," she says quietly.

They turn to leave, but she calls out to them. "Oliver, John." They stop and turn back toward her. "I mean this may be obvious, but are we sure this isn't a trap?" she asks.

Oliver steps back toward her. "No," he answers simply. It might very well be one, but it was a risk they had to take. Without the cure, Slade and his men were unstoppable.

"I'm just saying if you guys don't come back alive, I'm going to be really pissed," she tells them, her eyes revealing the fear she is not quite able to voice.

Diggle chuckles, and Oliver allows himself to smile. Somehow she always manages to do this for them, push away the ugliness they face with the simplicity of her words, a touch of her patent humor. Like other times, he is unable to give her false promises, for she has earned his trust. He respects her too much to not be honest. But he reaches out for a moment and puts his hand on her shoulder in reassurance, comfort. Like always, words are unnecessary between them—their eyes speak to one another. He turns away, carrying one last imagine of her as he follows Diggle.

Hours later, it appears as if the tide has turned. They have the cure, and it works. Roy is fighting by his side. Sarah's ex-lover Nyssa arrives with some of her assassins. She helps Oliver shoot the cure into Slade's men. They soon dispatch all of them. However, Slade never makes an appearance.

Oliver and Diggle, along with Roy and Sarah, head back to the clock tower. He can't wait to give Felicity the good news. They are about to enter the stairwell when Sarah grabs his hand to stop him.

"Oliver," she begins.

He stops her, instinctively knowing what she wants to tell him. "It's okay, Sarah. I understand. We both knew we didn't have forever together. You should be with someone you love," he tells her. He had seen the way she had looked at Nyssa when she arrived to help them. It had been a bit disconcerting, but he hadn't really felt jealous. Instead, he was happy that Nyssa had come for Sarah. She deserved to finally be happy.

"But I do love you, Oliver," Sarah says earnestly.

"I love you, too," he says with affection. The bond between them had been forged in the fires of hell. Nothing would ever be able to fully sever it. She was a part of him, and he was a part of her. That would always remain unchanged.

"Oliver!" Diggle calls out, interrupting them. The two quickly turn and head up the stairs. Oliver doesn't know why he is stunned to see Slade there, but he is. For some reason, he had begun to believe it was finally over. Isabel is with him, holding Felicity, a knife to her throat. Slade is holding on to Laurel's arm, a gun in his other hand. She gives Oliver an apologetic look. Oliver's heart races as he looks for a way out. He can't let either of them die.

"Where's Dad?" Sarah asks, afraid of the answer.

"One of his goons knocked him out at the precinct. I think he's alive," Laurel replies.

"Well, we're all here," Slade says. "You thought you could stop me, kid."

"I did stop you. Your men are all dead," Oliver informs him.

"Not all," Slade says. A man comes out of the shadows and attacks. Oliver had one arrow with the cure left. He was saving it for Slade. He and Roy help John fight the guy while Sarah keeps her eyes focused on her sister, waiting for an opportunity to attack.

"Let her go!" Sarah yells.

"Maybe I will. Maybe I won't," Slade says. "It depends on Oliver." He gives Sarah a satisfied smile, clearly enjoying her upset.

"Either way, I want to kill this one," Isabel says, the knife digging into Felicity's throat, causing her to cry out. Oliver is distracted by her cry and turns toward her. The guy hits him in the face. Oliver manages to stay on his feet and bends over to grab the knife he keeps around his ankle. Using it, he stabs the brute in the throat as Diggle empties his gun into the man's head. The man falls to the floor finally dead.

"Let them go, Slade. This is between you and me," Oliver says, hoping desperately the man will rise to his challenge.

Slade laughs. "I promised you pain. I told you one more had to die. I took your mother. Should I kill your current lover?" he points to Sarah with his gun. Then he looks down at Laurel. "All the time on the island, you pined for this one. Yet you keep making the same dumb mistakes with her sister." His distaste of Sarah is apparent.

"Tell me about it," Felicity says. When everyone looks at her, she colors. "Sorry."

Slade smiles at her with approval. "This one, now. She's not anything like your normal type. Isabel is breathtaking and cunning. Laurel is your childhood sweetheart, the ideal. Sarah is your perfect match. But this one," he points at Felicity. "I wasn't sure if her death would hurt you enough. I'm still not sure. Her brain gives you your edge, but she's awkward, unpolished. Without pretense."

Oliver couldn't believe it. Never did he dream Felicity would be a target. He'd been too careful to keep her at a distance.

"When I paid a visit to your lair, though, she was the one you protected first," Slade points out.

"Because she's not a fighter. Sarah can protect herself. Felicity shouldn't have to," Oliver replies. "She's just my IT girl." He hated reducing what she was to him, but he knew Felicity would understand.

"See, I told you I wasn't important," Felicity says. Oliver looks at her, hoping she can do what she always does and read his expression. They both know she's more than an IT girl.

"Does Laurel know that you didn't just betray her with her sister, but with Shado? Did you even bother to tell her about Shado?" Shade demands. "Have you already forgotten her?"

"Of course not! I honor Shado by wearing my hood," Oliver reminds him.

He glares angrily at Oliver with his one good eye. He scoffs in disgust. "Shado loved you. I loved her, but who did you love? Sarah? Laurel? Loving you caused Shado to die. It's only fitting that the women you love die, too. It's what you deserve!"

"But it's not what they deserve! Punish me, Slade. Not them! Please!" Oliver begs. Silent tears are rolling down Felicity's cheek. Laurel remains dry-eyed and watchful. Her father had trained her. She was ready for her sister or Oliver to make a move. Oliver knew no matter what he did, one of them would suffer. The thought sickens him.

"So which death would hurt you the most?" Slade says waving the gun.

"It won't be this girl. He doesn't love her," Isabel says with a sneer, her hand digging hard into Felicity's side making her whimper. "You don't bring your secretary on a trip and sleep with another woman if you love her. That's too low for a man with Oliver's reputation with women. Kill Laurel. I'll play with this one. She's annoyed me for a long time!"

Slade puts his gun to Laurel's head. "Yes, her death would hurt Sarah, too," Slade agrees.

"No! Don't kill her, Slade! She doesn't deserve that!" Sarah cries.

"What did Shado deserve? She was so much better than you! A disloyal tramp, you were willingly betraying your only sister. You are so unworthy!" Slade screams. He moves his hand and points the gun at Sarah, who opens her arms as if accepting his punishment as her due. He saw, though, her acceptance and smirked. He moved the gun back to Laurel, wanting to cause her the pain of watching her sister die.

Oliver felt sick. He'd said goodbye to Sarah more than once, so the thought of her death didn't crush him. He also felt confident she could survive any attack. Sarah wasn't easy to kill. Losing Laurel, though, would destroy her. The guilt would probably crush Oliver, too. Yet his eyes went to Felicity's. He knew Isabel hated Felicity. Oliver had been so incredibly stupid. By sleeping with Isabel, he'd not only hurt Felicity, but he'd guaranteed that Isabel would always pay attention to her. When Isabel had told him about the rumors about him and Felicity, he had foolishly thought sleeping with Isabel would be the easiest and most convenient way to protect Felicity's reputation. Too much vodka had clouded his judgment. Once again, he'd been short-sighted.

Now Felicity could be killed because of him. Fear for her life nearly paralyzed Oliver. John moved to his side, his presence soothing Oliver. "Sarah will take care of Laurel. Use your arrow on Slade. Roy and I will rush Isabel," John whispers to him.

Oliver knows it's a good plan. However, he is reluctant to surrender Felicity's fate to anyone but him. "Wait. Let me deal with Slade first," Oliver advises.

Before they could make a move, an arrow flies out and hits Slade in the back. Oliver looks. It's Nyssa on the top of the nearest building. Laurel quickly moves away from Slade. Sarah doesn't hesitate; she rushes Slade, kicking him hard in the stomach. He is in shock, the arrow lodged between his shoulder blades.

Oliver doesn't see her hit him again and again until he falls off the roof of the building. Instead, his focus is on Isabel. Her disbelief and anger at the attack on Slade causes her to loosen her hold on Felicity. Felicity jerks away.

It seems to happen in slow motion, yet it was so fast Oliver could barely react. He dives toward Felicity as Isabel pulls back her knife and plunges it into Felicity.

"_No!_ Felicity!" Oliver screams. He grabs his cure-laced arrow and shoots Isabel in the heart. He and Diggle are at Felicity's side before her body can hit the ground. "No, no, no!" His arm holds her as Diggle quickly takes off his shirt and presses it to her stomach. There is so much blood. Oliver's horrified gaze meets Diggle's. Neither even notices Isabel's dead body crumbled next to them.

Sarah had embraced her sister as soon as Slade fell off the roof. The two women peered over the roof, happy to see the nightmare was over. Slade was dead, his body broken on the ground below. Oliver's cry of despair, however, drew their attention.

Sarah gasped as she saw Felicity cradled in Oliver's arms. She runs to their side. "Come on! We must get her to the hospital!" Sarah orders. Oliver's tear-filled eyes raise up and meet hers. His anguish hurts her. Sarah knew how lost he'd be without Felicity, how lost they'd all be without the woman who brought sunshine and acceptance into their lives. She was their heart. Sarah suspected she held Oliver's heart even if he didn't realize it himself.

"Give her to me, Oliver. You must change," Diggle reminds him, always watching out for him.

He wants to curse and yell. How can he let her go? However, he knew what she'd say. She'd be really angry if he ended up in jail. His street clothes are back at the Foundry. Reluctantly, he hands her to Diggle. He takes off his mask, realizing his cheeks were wet.

"My bike's downstairs," Sara tells him.

"Please, go with them," Oliver begs her, needing to know someone was watching out for them.

Roy runs ahead to get the van. Oliver gets on Sarah's bike and races to the Foundry where he left his clothes.

An hour later, he paces the waiting room, waiting for news. He couldn't lose her. He just couldn't. The thought of her not being a part of his life, not being there to scold him, to encourage him nearly brought him to his knees.

"Ollie!" a voice calls out. He looks up and is relieved to see Thea. He holds out his arms, and she runs to him, Roy a step behind her. "Thank God, you're okay!" Thea says as she hugs him tightly.

"What happened? I thought you left town?" Oliver asks.

"I tried. Then those men started attacking," Thea says. It doesn't feel right to upset him with what else had happened to her. She doesn't try to. There will be time for that later.

"How's Felicity?" Roy asks.

Oliver's face looks ravaged, exhaustion evident. His hand rubs over his face. "I-I don't know," he admits. Diggle had left to track down a doctor, knowing Oliver needed to know if she was still alive. "Dig went to see if she's alive."

"Felicity? She's hurt?" Thea asks in surprised.

"Isabel stabbed her," Roy explains. Thea blanched, obviously not expecting that answer.

Laurel appears, interrupting. She goes up and hugs Oliver. "Dad's going to be okay. He has a slight concussion. He was upset to learn Felicity was here. I didn't know he knew her. Is she okay?" Laurel asks. She's trying to roll with the revelations of the night, but it's not easy. It is obvious that Oliver's secretary was so much more than that. She meant so much more to Oliver. It made Laurel feel a little funny, but she cared enough about Oliver to want him to be happy. He'd suffered enough.

Oliver can't even bring himself to answer; he just pulls away. He wants to pound on something so bad. How did this happen? How did the nightmare end with Felicity being the one near death? The most innocent of them. She didn't deserve this. It should be him in surgery. Not her. Never her.

John appears. Oliver can't even bring himself to ask. "She's still alive. They're working on her now," John tells him.

Oliver can't take it anymore. He sits down in a chair, his head in his hands. Diggle sits down next to him. His sister and Roy sit on his other side. "I'll go tell my dad and Sarah," Laurel says as she leaves them.

And they wait. After another hour passes, Roy pulls Thea out to get them some food.

"I can't lose her, Dig," Oliver says in a near whisper.

"I know. I love her, too," Diggle says. Felicity hadn't been anything they'd planned. Diggle had been so afraid of this very thing happening when Oliver had first brought her in. Soon, however, she'd become so indispensable to them that neither man could imagine her not being there. The three of them were a team. As Oliver and he discovered when she went to Central City for a few days, Oliver could barely function without her.

Diggle's words seem to echo in Oliver's head. _I love her, too. _It was like a door opened in his mind. He saw countless moments with Felicity. He heard her voice; he felt her touch. So many images came to his mind. Finally, one startling truth was laid bare. Now he understood what he'd been unwilling to acknowledge or recognize until that moment.

He loved Felicity.

He was _in love_ with her.

This new knowledge filled him with fear. He could _not _lose her. The Arrow may be able to exist without her. Oliver Queen, however, could not.

A doctor arrives. Oliver and John stand to their feet, holding their breaths. The doctor smiles. They exhale.

"She's going to be okay," the doctor assures him.

Oliver doesn't hear anything else. All he could hear is the news. She was going to live. He could breathe again.

"Can we see her?" Diggle asks. The doctor tells them that she is in recovery. In a half hour, she will be in ICU.

Soon they're in ICU where a nurse tells them they have fifteen minutes. John holds her hand. Oliver can only look at her, his eyes taking in the machines hooked up to her, the heart monitor, the oxygen in her nose. The sight pains him. This shouldn't be her.

Diggle glances at him, sensing how hard it is for him. He puts his hand on Oliver's shoulders. "I'll give you some time with her," he says. He bends down and kisses her forehead.

When John leaves, Oliver sits in the chair next to her bed. He reaches for her hand, bowing his head down. A shudder runs through him as he realizes how close he came to losing her.

Nothing made sense. She didn't belong in a hospital. His mind kept replaying Isabel stabbing her. Every time he reimagines it, he is too slow to stop it. Minutes pass. Then a movement tugs on his hand.

Glancing up, he sees Felicity stir. Her eyes flutter open. He stands and moves closer to her. "Oliver?"

He closes his eyes a moment, giving a silent prayer of thanks.

His world made sense again.

"I'm here, Felicity. You're going to be just fine," he assures her.

She gives him a groggy smile. "Did we win? Is it over?" she asks.

"Yes, it's over. We won," he tells her, smiling down at her. When she flashes him another sleepy smile, he can't help it. He leans down and places a light kiss on her lips.

"Why did you do that?" she asks, confused. She yawns, obviously still barely awake. Her eyes close.

"Because I love you," he tells her.

"That's nice. I love you, too," she says sleepily. Then she's out. Oliver chuckles. Only Felicity.

*****_The End*****_

_As much as I dislike Laurel and wish they'd kill her off, I couldn't seem to do it. As convinced as I am (99% certain) that they will be killing Sara off the show next week, I couldn't do that either. I like the thought of them just being BETTER WRITTEN! LOL!_

_Thanks for reading! There won't be another chapter. This is it. I hope you enjoyed it. Give me a review and let me know!_


End file.
